April 27, 2009: The night things went batty in the Lehigh Valley IronPigs radio booth

April 27, 2009: The night things went batty in the Lehigh Valley IronPigs radio booth

Sixth of a 10-part series: The IronPigs are in their 10th season as the Philadelphia Phillies' Triple-A affiliate. Those who have been part of the experience from the beginning share their most memorable moments. Some even include baseball.

Baseballs have flown into the IronPigs home radio booth at Coca-Cola Park several times during the last decade, sending broadcasters Matt Provence and Jon Schaeffer scrambling for cover.

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It occurred on April 27, 2009, in a game against the Pawtucket Red Sox, leaving Schaeffer with a bruised hand.

What happened in the 12th inning that night, however, created a more memorable moment.

A bat — not the kind used to hit baseballs and home invaders — flew into the booth.

The audio recording of their broadcast has plenty of dead air before Provence peaks out from the desk in an attempt to continue the broadcast.

Video from the Service Electric TV 2 broadcast captures the chaos of the IronPigs broadcasters' experience during the franchise's second season, showing what appears to be an empty room — sans the bat.

Service Electric's booth is next to the one shared by Provence and Schaeffer. A window is all that separates Mike Zambelli, Service Electric's sports director and IronPigs play-by-play broadcaster, from Provence.

"When I first realized it," Zambelli recalled, "[broadcast partner] Steve [Degler] and I started laughing. Then you see our shot from the center-field camera into their booth and nobody's there.

"All of a sudden, the bat appeared. And, while the bat is flying around, you see Matt's head come up. It was like Sesame Street, with a Muppet's head coming up. We couldn't work the game anymore because our [camera] guys would show a pitch, then go back to the empty booth with the bat flying around."

The bat marred what was the first walk-off win in the IronPigs' brief history.

It started with Schaeffer's voice trailing off as IronPigs outfielder John Mayberry Jr. caught a fly ball by Pawtucket's Gil Velazquez for the third out in the top of the 12th inning of a 1-1 game.

The IronPigs radio network returned from commercial to the sounds only of the crowd. Service Electric's Degler, meanwhile, used a telestrator to break down what is happening next door to him and Zambelli.

Provence jumped back on the broadcast in time to call the second pitch of Pablo Ozuna's at-bat leading off the bottom of the 12th.

Mayberry then doubled and scored the game-winning run two batters later on Paul Hoover's single to center field.

Schaeffer saw none of it. Provence peered often enough from underneath the desk to convey to the listeners that the IronPigs had won in dramatic fashion, though it came with less drama than what he endured.

"It's tough calling a game when you're more worried about what's happening behind you than what's happening in front of you," Provence said.

"The bat was freaking out, bouncing off the top of the window in front of me and the wall behind me. It was like watching charged particles in a chamber."

Provence made the call with ice on his left ring finger after he pinched it in a chair hours earlier. Schaeffer, with his sore hand from a foul ball innings earlier, was not disappointed that he missed the excitement on the field.

Their egos remain only slightly bruised by the absurdity of that night more than eight years ago, thanks mostly to the humor it brought to the surrounding broadcast booths and a Lehigh Valley radio station that played the theme from the "Batman" TV series whenever Provence was a guest.

The duo has experienced several other 'technical difficulties' in their 12 seasons together — the first two coming at Class-A Lynchburg, Va.

"I was so nervous, I thought I was going to cry. I was shaking. I finally mustered up the courage to look down. Thankfully, nobody seemed to be writhing in pain. It landed on an empty seat."

There also was an incident at Coca-Cola Park when then-Syracuse radio man Jason Benetti showed Provence and Schaeffer the true meaning of focus and toughness.

"He gets hit with a foul ball off his chest and says, 'Here's a foul ball back off my ribs, so here's whoever. He's hitting .330 against lefties this year,'" Provence said. "He didn't even take a break."

Schaeffer and Provence take alternate breaks during extra-inning home games. On a batty night in 2009, Schaeffer took a break for which he had no intention of returning from.